Same-sex couples marry

Laguna Hills Civic Center’s marriage license office was filled to capacity Tuesday morning as same-sex couples and their families, supporters and members of the press, thronged the site. The couples were among the first to wed on the day that same-sex weddings were lawful in California.

One Laguna Beach couple, Stuart Byer and Jeffrey Rehm, obtained their license and then were married in a civil ceremony by Deputy Commissioner of Marriage Mary Jack, who wore a black robe and conducted a solemn ceremony.

A KNX radio reporter captured the words as the couple said their vows and Byer’s mother, Debra, looked on.

After the couple said their “I do’s,” members of the crowd shouted “mazel tov!”

“I’m ecstatic, happy, happy, happy,” Debra Byer said. “It’s a good thing. They are so well-suited. They complement each other, and it’s a long time coming.”

Another Laguna couple, Michael Thorstensen and Jeffrey Clark, obtained their license and then headed off to Palm Springs for a formal ceremony this evening.

A Laguna Beach florist, Flowers Too, donated several dozen long-stemmed roses for the couples. A rainbow flag was planted outside the building, and a rabbi arrived early to perform ceremonies upon request.

There were no protesters visible at the license office on Tuesday, but representatives of religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage issued press statements in support of a state constitutional amendment initiative that would prohibit the unions.

The measure will be on November’s ballot.

CINDY FRAZIER is city editor of the Coastline Pilot. She can be contacted at (949) 494-2087 or [email protected].